HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HOLY LAND TOUR By Wayne Stiles 4 Ways to Get Ready That Will Make All the Difference You’vefinallydecidedtotakeaspiritualjourneytotheHolyLand—tothelandoftheBible.Icanpromiseyou,youwon’tcomehomefromIsraelthesame!Butthere’ssomethingelseyouneedtoknow.

TheaqueductatCaesareaYoualreadyrealizeyouareinvestingalotofmoneythistrip,andyouwanttomakethemostofyourtime.ButyouwillgettwiceasmuchoutofyourHolyLandtourifyou’llalsoinvestsometimepreparingforit.Herearesomewaysthatwillhelpyoumaximizeyourtrip—bypreparingmentally,practically,physically,andspiritually.MENTAL PREPARATION FOR A HOLY LAND TOUR: LEARN SOME BASIC GEOGRAPHY Thismayseemacademicandevenunnecessary,butbelieveme;itwillmakeahugedifference.• Ifyoudeterminetoknowwhereyouare,youwillbetterappreciate(andremember)thesitesandtheirbiblicalsignificance.• Notonlythat,butyourBiblereadingwillmakemoresensefortherestofyourlife.BasicIsraelGeography.Ifyoudon’thaveonealready,buyagoodBibleatlas.Beforeyourtrip,useyouratlasandlearnthenamesofIsrael’sgeographicareasaswellastheirlocations:• Galilee(includingtheGolanHeights)• Samaria(IncludingtheJezreelValley)• Judea(includingtheShephelah)• NegevandWilderness• Besuretoread“MustHaveResourcesForBibleLandsStudy”BasicJerusalemGeography.YoucanlearnthebasicgeographyofJerusaleminabout5minutes.Dr.CharlieDyertaughtmetovisualizeJerusalemasanicecreamconeinsidetwohamburgerbuns.(Seemygraphicbelow.)• TheicecreamandconearetheTempleMountandtheCityofDavid.• ThetwobunsrepresenttheWesternHillandtheMountofOlives.• ThethreemajorvalleysofJerusalemlieinbetweentheconeandthebuns.

VisualizeJerusalemasanicecreamconeinside2burgerbuns.

GetaroadmapofIsraelandfollowalongyourjourney.OnceIevenhighlightedtheroadswetook.IfyourbushasWi-Fi,andyouhaveaSmartPhone,youcanusetheGoogleMapsapptofindyourlocation.Ilovedoingthis.(Justmakesureyou’reonlyaccessingtheWebviaWi-Fiandnotoveranexpensiveoverseasnetwork.)

PRACTICAL PREPARATION FOR A HOLY LAND TOUR TakeaSmallBibleoraDigitalTablet.Youprobablydon’twanttotakeyourthree-poundstudyBibletoIsrael.It’stooheavyforthesuitcaseandforyourdailyjourney,butyoualsodon’twantittosufferanydamagefromtravel.• GetasmallerBibleyoucaneasilycarry.YearsagoIboughtasmallerBiblethatallowsmetoeasilyreadonsite.• Forfuturetrips,IplantousemyiPadmini.NotonlydoesithavemywholeBibleonitaswellasmyteachingnotes,italso

allowsmetojournalinthemornings,takepictures,andSkypewithfamilybackhome.Ifyoudotakeadigitaltablet,youmightconsiderapplyingamattefilmtothescreen.It’sgreatnotonlyforprotection,butitcutsdownontheglarefromthebrightsunlight.

StudyingthelifeofChrist,overlookingtheJezreelValleyDon’tForgettheBasics.Hopefully,you’vethoughtofthese.Butjustincase:• HatandSunscreen:You’llbeinthesunalot,andyou’llneedprotection.EspeciallydownbytheDeadSea.• GoodShoes:Besuretogetsomecomfortablewalkingshoesand(important:)break‘eminbeforeyougetthere.• Modestclothing:Afewholysitesrequire“modest”clothing—whichincludespantsorskirtthatcoverthekneesandshirts

thatcovertheshoulders.Withouttheseitems,youmaynotenterthesites.• 220Adaptorsand/orConverters.You’llwanttochargeyourcamerabattery,sobesureandlookintothiscarefullybefore

yougo.Mostnicehotelsprovideahairdryerinyourroom.(Forwhatit’sworth,I’veneverseena110hairdryersurviveatrip.Evenwithconverters,somehowtheyjuststruggle.)

PHYSICAL PREPARATION FOR A HOLY LAND TOUR GetinShape.EverytourIleadhasstragglers.Somelagbehindbecausethey’rephysicallyunabletoclimbstairs,walkbriskly,ornavigateuneventerrain.You’llenjoythetripmuchbetterifyou’llgetusedtowalkingalotbeforeyougo.

ReadingtheWordofGodintheCapernaumSynagogue

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR A HOLY LAND TOUR AtourtoIsraelisfarmorethanavacation.It’saspiritualjourney.Iinterviewedhundredsofpeopleformydoctoralresearch,andIdiscoveredthat99%ofthosewhoparticipateinaHolyLandtourwillhavetheirspirituallivesaffected.Hereareacoupleofwaystoprepareforyourtripspiritually:• Pray.AskGodtomakeyousensitivetowhatHeteachesyouandtohelpyouretainit.Prayforyourguide,driver,andBible

teacher.Prayforyourgrouptobefreeofinjury,tohavenolostluggage,andhaveaspiritofunity.Alsoforgoodweather.• UseYourItineraryasYourQuietTimes.Beforeyourtrip,devotesomeweekstoconnectingthesitesyou’llvisitwiththeir

biblicalsignificance.Here’show:Lookoverthesitesforeachday,andmakealistofthem.Getagooddevotionalbookwithasiteindexandreadadevotionalabouteachsite.JotnotesandScripturesdownonthelistyou’remaking.Makethislistanditsdevotionsyourquiettimesbeforeyourtrip—andeachdayonthetrip.Liveinexpectationofthetruthsyouwillre-experienceeachday.